Third Time Lucky
by waterlilylf
Summary: Opposites attract, or do they? When the Prince of Sanque meets the new mechanic at his garage, the beautiful, entirely surprising Duo manages to get under his skin like a splinter... Yaoi. 6x2 get together. Eventually.
1. Mechanical Problems

Disclaimer: I don't own the Gundam Wing Universe.

Note the first: This story is for Karina, just to prove I can write 6x2. A very Happy Birthday to you (and a very warm welcome to Annabelle Rose also).

Note the second: Many thanks to Kaeru Shisho, Snow, Cinnamon and Dyna for suggesting possible plots, and to KS for editing and laughing. This one was supposed to be a *cough cough* one shot, but it somehow mutated into three chapters.

**Mechanical Problems:**

It was definitely Howard's garage.

His marmalade cat was snoozing in a splash of sunlight, the usual rock music was pouring out of the battered radio, and there was a car in the forecourt with a figure bent over the engine.

The figure definitely wasn't Howard.

Grubby, grease-stained jeans clung to long, slender legs, and cupped the most perfect bottom. Small rips and tears in the fabric displayed hints of smooth, pale skin.

Well.

_Very_ nice.

If Howard had taken on an assistant, and the rest of him matched the very enticing lower half, Zechs was just going to have to fire the palace mechanic, even if Walters _was_ Pagan's second cousin. Relena's car would be coming here in future and Zechs would be driving it himself.

Still, enjoying the view wasn't going to get his car fixed today, pleasant though it was. Zechs switched off the blaring music, which made the cat look up, and the man bent over the car sang along – off key – for a few lines before realising he'd lost his accompaniment.

Blue – very blue – almost violet eyes, fastened on Zechs as the strange mechanic whirled around. Oh, yes, the rest of him very definitely came up to scratch. And those eyes were looking at him in a way that meant he reciprocated the feelings entirely.

Actually, Zechs wasn't used to being ogled, and really there was no other word for it, quite so blatantly. He was perfectly used to being admired, naturally, but his title generally made people discreet. Still, it was rather flattering to be looked at like that.

'Wow. Nice,' the young man breathed.

_That_ was definitely overstepping the line. People did not speak to the prince of Sanque like that.

'I beg your pardon?' He accompanied the words, spoken with a good layer of frost on them, with a slightly raised eyebrow. Not his most intimidating look, since he didn't want to scare the young man away, but just enough to convey displeasure. Zechs waited for the stammered apology, the blush, downcast lashes sweeping against those heated cheeks.

Instead, the mechanic grinned at him. 'Your car. She's gorgeous. She's a classic, right?'

'Ah, yes.' Zechs abruptly realised the man had been staring over his shoulder the whole time.

'Bet she's a sweet ride,' he crooned, crossing over to run one hand over the bonnet. 'So what can I do you for?'

'I'd like to see Howard.' He hadn't meant to sound quite so abrupt, but he wasn't used to being thrown off balance, and he certainly wasn't used to being ignored in favour of a car, however special it was, and _certainly_ not by a mere mechanic, even one who looked like that.

'Sorry. He's not here.'

'I can wait.'

'Sure. You might get bored though. He's gone for the next two weeks. I'm looking after the place while he's away. I'm Duo, by the way.'

'But he never goes away!' It was one of the reasons Zechs liked taking his cars here, even though it was just a small, backstreet establishment. But Howard was reliable, and treated Zechs' vintage cars with the reverence they deserved.

Duo shrugged. 'Well, he's gone now. It's his fiftieth next month, and he's gone on a cruise to the Bahamas.'

'I see. It was rather unprofessional of him not to inform his customers in advance.'

'He did. He sent all his regulars a circular, letting them know. Most of 'em sent cards back, and some even sent him a gift.'

Zechs felt his face colour slightly; he prided himself on being generous to employees and tradesmen and he'd known Howard for several years now. The letter had probably got lost somewhere between one of the palace secretaries and his private household staff. He would make a note to buy a present for the man's return, but it didn't solve the immediate problem of Howard not being here to fix his car.

'So…what's wrong with your baby?' Duo was leaning against the wall; he'd picked up the cat and it was snuggling happily in his arms, one paw batting at that amazing braid of hair. 'I can take a look if you want?'

Well, it was either that or go back to the palace and let Walters look at it and really, the man was out of his depth with anything more complicated than a ride-on lawnmower.

'I'm not sure exactly what's wrong. It's hard to explain but there's a slight rattle in the engine when I turn a corner.'

Duo frowned, putting the cat down. 'A rattle? Ooh, that's serious.'

'Really?'

'No idea. But you looked worried so I thought I'd try to empathise a bit. Here, let me pop the hood and I'll take a look.'

'Pop the what?' Zechs asked, not understanding. 'Oh, you mean open the bonnet.'

'Yeah, what I said.' Duo peered interestedly at the engine. 'Wow. This is cool! I've never seen a vintage Rolls Royce engine before, only in books.' He tapped a fingernail at a …something. 'Hey! Wonder what this valve does? The newer models don't have it.'

Oh, dear God.

'You are a qualified mechanic, aren't you?'

'Nope,' Duo said cheerfully, straightening up to face him.

'Excuse me?'

'No, I am not a qualified mechanic.' He spaced the words out slowly and carefully.

'Why on earth are you talking like that?'

'That's the second time you've asked me to repeat something. I thought maybe you were a little bit deaf. Or didn't understand my accent.'

'I'm not in the least deaf! Do you seriously mean you're not a real mechanic?'

'Well, now.' Duo crossed his arms, propping himself comfortably against the car. 'Define 'real'. I don't have any formal qualifications, but I've been working with cars most of my life. Howard can vouch for me, obviously, since he's left me in charge here. You could try calling him if you want but he's probably drinking pina coladas and chatting up rich widows by now, so he mightn't be too happy to be disturbed. Now, d'you want me to look at your car or not? Up to you.'

Zechs signed, torn between asking Duo not to lean against his pristine, newly-waxed paintwork and admiration of that lovely body in such a relaxed pose. Admiration won. 'I'd appreciate it if you could take a look.'

'No probs.' Duo straightened up, grinning at him. 'Don't worry. I won't take her apart unless I'm pretty sure I know how to put all the parts back together again. That's a joke, OK? Sorry, I never got your name.'

'You can call me Zechs.' It was an old childhood nickname, and what most of his friends still called him. He didn't want to overawe this boy straightaway, after all, and people tended to be intimidated by his title.

'Zechs. Cool. Now, can I have your keys, please? I'll need to take her for a little spin to hear this rattle of yours.'

'I'll drive,' Zechs said hastily. He certainly wasn't prepared to let a total stranger drive off in one of his favourite cars.

'Suit yourself.' Duo settled himself comfortably in the passenger seat, apparently not taking offence. Zechs felt a tiny pang for his leather upholstery and then decided a few stains might be worth it, simply to have Duo in his car, so close that Zechs' nostrils were being teased by an intoxicating blend of grease and shampoo and clean, male sweat.

He swung out of the garage, obeying Duo's instructions to turn this way and that into certain streets.

'That's a good idea,' he approved, driving up the road that led to the palace. 'If we take lots of turns, you'll be able to work out exactly when the rattle appears.'

Duo blinked. 'Uh, yeah. I guess. That's not really what I'm doing though. I just got here last night and it was dark. Since we're going for a drive anyway, I thought it'd be cool to have a bit of a look 'round.'

Zechs burst out laughing; he simply couldn't help it. On another day, he mightn't have taken that announcement quite so well, but it was April in Sanque and a perfect blue day and his passenger was giving him the most charming, cheeky grin imaginable. 'Is this your first time in Sanque then?'

'First time on Earth, period. I'm from L2; it's a bit different.' He pressed his face against the window, eagerly drinking in the sights they passed.

'I can imagine.' Zechs spoke with ready sympathy. Naturally, he'd never been there. He had no desire to, and his security team would have had collective coronaries if he'd suggested visiting the poorest of the colonies, but the Peacecraft Children's Foundation supported several orphanages and schools there, and he had a fair idea what growing up on L2 would be like.

'It's so pretty here with all the cobbled streets and the red roofs and the flowers. Like a city out of a kid's fairy story.'

'It's the best preserved mediaeval city in Europe,' Zechs said proudly. 'Sanque has always been a staunchly pacifist country. We never got involved in any of the continent's wars, so the city's never suffered any sort of destruction. And there are strict laws about preserving all the older buildings in their original condition.'

'Right. No wonder you've got such traffic problems, with these all narrow streets. At least on L2, we've got infrastructure that wasn't developed for horse-drawn carriages. Must be hell living here for anyone who actually wants to move into the 21st Century.'

'In Sanque, we happen to believe in preserving the past,' Zechs said tartly. Philistine.

Duo shrugged. 'Yeah? Where I come from, we think planning the future's a bit more important. But whatevs. Nothing to do with me, right? I've been reading up on some of your history. Pretty interesting..I liked the story that you managed to stay neutral in World War Two because some princess was sleeping with one of Hitler's Generals.'

'That was never proven,' Zechs snapped. 'It was just a vicious rumour.' Of course, Her Royal Highness the Princess Rosalba would never have done such a thing.

'Hey, I'm not judging, just saying,' Duo assured him. 'You do what you gotta do to survive, right? She was doing it for her people and all that. Oh, there's that rattle again. Seems to happen on two point left turns, from what I can see. That narrows down what could be wrong and…Wow! What's that building? It's totally like something out of a Walt Disney fairy tale!'

'That's the Royal Palace.' Zechs let just a smidgeon of smugness creep into his tone. It always worked. Even his impossibly talkative companion was struck dumb for a moment; he'd doubtless be honoured by an invitation inside when Zechs told him who he really was. They always were.

'People actually still live there?' Duo breathed.

'Oh, yes. The royal family.'

'Jesus, that's sick! There are starving kids in the world, and those parasites get to live in a place like that. This is a seriously messed-up country!'

'They live in one wing! The main building is now an art gallery and museum, which is open to the public except when the government is using the state rooms for official functions. Also, the Peacecrafts aren't _parasites_, as you put it. They happen to be very active in the government of Sanque,' Zechs informed him stiffly. 'And they do a massive amount for charity.'

'Yeah, I'll bet they turn up at all kinds of gala balls and such to get their photos taken,' Duo muttered. 'OK, we can go back to the garage now. Oh, can you stop for a sec to take the top down?'

'Of course.' Zechs agreed at once, still stunned by Duo's reaction. The people of Sanque revered their royal family; they were looked up to as models by the other royal houses of Europe. No one had ever called him a parasite before! 'Do you think that may be connected to the engine noise?'

Duo's smooth brow furrowed. 'Can't imagine why it would be. Nah, it's a nice day, and I thought it might be cool to drive with it down. I've never been in an open car before. You know, thought it might be nice to have the wind in our hair and all that.'

'Why not?' Zechs smiled at him suddenly, rather liking the idea of watching Duo with the wind whipping colour into his cheeks, and that glorious hair blowing. He took the longest route he knew back to the garage, enjoying Duo's bright laughter, and his ready interest in everything they passed.

'Thank you so much! That was _amazing_.' Duo was virtually glowing as he climbed out of the car.

'It was, yes.' Zechs beamed at him indulgently. Slightly off-kilter sense of humour and anti-royalist tendencies notwithstanding, Duo was perfect. Simply perfect. He just needed a little polish, and Zechs would be more than happy to help him. Spending time with the charming, very beautiful young colonial would be just the thing to assuage his occasional bouts of _ennui_.

And he had nothing on for the rest of the day that his assistant couldn't cancel. 'Duo,' he breathed, using his most seductive, melting-caramel tones, 'I'd like to ask you something.'

'Oh, right! Sorry. You want to get this baby fixed, huh? Just give me two secs.' He glanced into the engine, selected a tool Zechs didn't know from the box at his feet and reached in to do something Zechs couldn't see. 'There you go! All sorted! There was just a screw a tiny bit loose. It happens sometimes in these old cars.'

For God's sake! The man was ridiculously fixated on cars. 'So it's nothing serious?' Zechs asked, playing along.

'Nope! Saw it the minute I looked at the engine.' He grinned. 'Just an attachment for the windshield wiper fluid container. Sorry, I really wanted to go for a ride in your car. Hope you don't mind too much?'

'Not at all.' Ah, there it was; the perfect opening. Zechs slid a loose strand of windblown hair behind one ear, and then tilted his head slightly, letting the silver-blond mass of it cascade down his back; a move that usually had men grovelling at his feet in droves. 'I'd love to take you out in her again. This evening perhaps, if you're free?'

'That's really nice, but seriously, you don't need to worry. I've fixed the problem.' Duo tapped the roof. 'She's good to go.'

'Duo,' Zechs grasped Duo's chin with the fingers of one hand, 'Is it customary on L2 to play so hard to get? I'm asking you out.'

'Me?' Duo blinked at him. 'You don't know me.'

'In this country, the generally accepted reason for asking people out is to get to know them better.'

'Yeah, I guess, but….whoa! Are you hitting on me?'

_Finally_.

Oh well, with looks like that, he probably didn't need to depend overmuch on intellect.

'I certainly am,' Zechs murmured, making it breathy and soft and seductive.

'Oh, right. No, sorry, but I'm sort of seeing someone. That's actually the reason I'm here in Sanque. Thanks anyway.'

'_Sort of_ seeing someone doesn't really count, in my book.' The blond smiled; the smile that never failed.

'Well, in mine it does. I don't know how it works in Europe, but in my culture if you're involved with someone you don't cheat on them. And even if I wasn't involved, you're not really my type. Hey, Ginger.' He turned to scoop up the cat, which was weaving its way around his legs. 'I'd better go and feed this monster before he takes a chunk out of me. See you.'


	2. Running on Empty

Note: A huge thank you to KS for editing, and to everyone who was kind enough to comment on Chapter 1.

Pairings: Refs to 3x4, past 6x5,

**Running on Empty:**

'_You're not my type.'_

Zechs was still fuming hours later. Jumped-up, ungracious, rude little colonial! It wasn't the first time Zechs had been turned down, obviously, but the first time it hadn't been done with charm and genuine regret. Not that it had happened very often; he was used to being the one who was courted and more than one of his suitors had called him a fairy tale prince.

A rather predictable compliment, but charming nonetheless.

And that _mechanic, _that_ nobody,_ from L2 had dared to say that Prince Milliardo of Sanque, one of the most eligible bachelors in the universe, wasn't _his type_.

Unthinkable.

Except, of course, he hadn't been able to _stop_ thinking about it. Those four little words had drifted around his brain during lunch at the French embassy, and an official visit to a newly opened wing at the children's hospital, and a speech to a graduating class from the university.

He hadn't been able to stop thinking about Duo's utterly irresistible grin, either, or how much he'd enjoyed driving him around.

Fool.

Well, even if Duo had turned him down, there were still plenty of men who found him more than attractive.

Zechs decided, on impulse, not to go home for dinner. He would go to the restaurant two of his friends had recently opened instead, and sit at that lovely table they reserved for him; the one overlooking the waterfront. Lucrezia would fuss over him, as she always did, and he would eat Trowa's newest creations and perhaps flirt a little with Otto, the head waiter_,_ who had a ridiculous crush on him.

When Lucrezia Noin swung open the restaurant door, however, she looked like she wanted to cry.

'What's on earth is going on?'

'Oh, I'm so sorry!' she gasped. '_Everything's_ gone wrong today! That new chef we hired is a disaster. He actually turned off one of the refrigerators last night, and a whole batch of desserts was ruined, and then he almost cut his hand off when he was filleting a chicken, because he wasn't paying attention. I thought Trowa was actually going to finish the job for him, he was so angry! So now Tro has to do all the cooking, and then the main dishwasher stopped working and the plumber still hasn't arrived, and we've got a critic from the Sanque Times coming for dinner! I'm so sorry, but we're reserving your usual table for him.'

'That's no problem,' Zechs said graciously. 'Of course, that's more important. You should have called me. Is there anything I can do to help? I can wash up or chop vegetables or something if you like.'

'You're wonderful. But no, it's fine. I would have called, but I know what your schedule's usually like. Quatre came over for a couple of hours after lunch and the two of us washed up manically by hand.'

'Well, next time call me if you have those sorts of disasters. I'm involved in this too, remember? Even if I'm busy, I can send someone over from the palace.' He gave her a quick hug. 'Lu, stop looking so miserable. I'll come over tomorrow and we'll go through the applications again. We'll find someone! Now, tell me about this critic. I thought they were meant to be anonymous.'

'Well, they are, really, but one of Quatre's nieces is doing work experience at the paper. She was doing some filing yesterday and she saw print-out of an email about us, that we're on their list of new restaurants to review with today's date mentioned. Apparently the woman who normally writes their restaurant reviews is on maternity leave, but they've got someone filling in for the next six months.'

'Who is she? Do you know her?'

'He, actually. No, I'd never heard of him but I looked him up on-line and he's very well known in the Colonies. And I've printed out some photos so we all know what he looks like. Pretty cute actually. He presents a cookery show and he's published a couple of books. He's from L3 or somewhere.'

Zechs laughed. 'Oh, well, in that case you hardly need to worry, do you? I can't imagine they know much about fine dining in outer space. He'll probably complain if you don't serve him canned spaghetti in tomato sauce.'

'Goodness, I hope that's not what he wants because we don't have any. Zechs, I really want this to go well! If we get a good review in the _Sanque Times_, we'll be made for life! If he disses us, we might as well just close down and open a fast food franchise.'

'Now, you're being silly,' Zechs scolded, putting both arms around her. 'You've been open less than a month; you know perfectly well that it takes time for restaurants to build up custom. And it's not like Quatre or I are going to start demanding immediate profits on what we've invested. '

'You're right.' She took a deep breath. 'As usual. Now, where would you like to sit?'

Zechs chose a small table by the window, accepted the menu and a glass of water from a faintly blushing Otto, and sat back to look at the day's specials. There! He hadn't thought about Duo for all of ten minutes. Excellent. Of course, if Duo hadn't been such a churlish character, and hadn't had the temerity to be with someone else, he could have had the lovely young man sitting opposite him right now. He'd probably never been in a restaurant like this in his life; it would have been such a pleasure to introduce him to gourmet cooking, and fine wines and …._stop it now, Zechs._

No, he wasn't going to think about Duo any more. He was going to have a lovely evening and….

Just like that, Duo walked through the door, with Otto bowing so low that his forehead was almost sweeping the wooden floor. Zechs did a double take; no, he had to be mistaken. Except he wasn't; Duo had changed into a _very_ nice designer suit – and dear gods, if he'd looked delicious in denim, he was positively edible in Armani – but it was unmistakably him.

Noin was practically dropping curtsies as she showed him to his table – _Zechs'_ table – welcoming him to the restaurant, thanking him for his custom, making sure he was happy with his table.

She'd be offering to bear his children next, Zechs thought sourly. What the _hell_? And Otto was bringing him a glass of champagne, which Zechs certainly hadn't been offered. Right, this had gone more than far enough.

Duo was beaming up at Noin who was reeling off the day's specials when Zechs walked over. Huh, so it was just an indiscriminate smile, then.

'I guess my cover's been blown, huh?'

'I'm afraid I don't understand, sir.' She was blushing though.

Duo sighed. 'Come on. It's pretty obvious you know who I am. Like, it's dinner time, but the best table in the house just happens to be free. And no one else seems to be getting free champagne.'

'Yes, what exactly _is_ going on?' Zechs interrupted. 'Noin, I don't know who you think this person is, but he's certainly not someone you need to fuss over like that.'

'Zechs, what are you _doing_?' Noin asked despairingly. 'Mr. Maxwell is here as a journalist for the most respected paper in Sanque.'

'He's not your Mr. Maxwell! He's called Duo and he's just a mechanic. He doesn't know anything about reviewing restaurants.'

Noin groaned as Duo looked up at them. 'Oddly enough, I have two names. It's normal in my culture. One of them's Duo, the other's Maxwell. Do you want to see some ID as proof?'

'But…you work in a garage!'

'I mess around with cars as a hobby, and I'm looking after my friend Howard's garage as a favour while he's away. I'm actually a chef and a writer. Is that too complicated for you to take in or will I repeat it in words of one syllable?'

'Please, Mr. Maxwell,' Noin cut in, throwing Zechs a perfectly vicious glare, 'I have to ask you to excuse my, ah, friend. He's been under a lot of strain lately. He doesn't really know what he's saying. He apologises if he's caused you any offence and he'll do anything to make amends to you. Isn't that right, Zechs?'

'Fine,' Zechs grated. 'I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?'

Duo, unexpectedly, grinned. 'Sure. You can sit and have dinner with me.'

'What? I thought my company would be the last thing you'd want.'

'Yeah, well, I hate eating alone, and I hate people grovelling over me. I _really_ hate that.'

'I see.' Zechs let Otto pull him a chair and arrange a snowy linen napkin over his lap. It wouldn't hurt to give the man a little treat, and it would make him so happy. 'I don't make a habit of grovelling.'

'I got that. I'm guessing that you're the one who's used to having people fawn over you, right? Don't you get sick of all the bowing and scraping and Your Highness this and that?'

Zechs went slowly red. Damn. He hadn't blushed since he was a teenager, and now twice in one day because of this damnable man. He hadn't even noticed that Otto had used his title. 'You know who I am?'

'Well, duh.' Duo's eyes rolled alarmingly. 'I told you I'd been reading about the history of Sanque. It didn't occur to you that I'd have checked out the royal family? Yeah, I knew who you were from the start. I thought maybe you liked going around incognito or whatever, and then needling you got to be sort of fun.' Something beeped, under the table. 'Excuse me a sec. That's my pager; I'd better get it.'

The moment he'd walked out of the room, Trowa erupted into it. 'What the fuck is going on, Peacecraft?' he demanded. 'How do you know Duo Maxwell?'

'It's complicated,' Zechs hedged. 'And I don't really know him at all. We just happened to meet this morning.'

'Whatever.' Trowa glared at him. 'We need him to give us a good review, Zechs. Do you have any idea how many businesses fail in the first six months? We can't afford any extra money for advertising, and you and Quatre have already invested enough in this place. If this Maxwell guy gives up a good write-up, it'll be worth a fortune. So you'd better be nice to him, got that?'

'I'll be perfectly civil, as I hope I always am to everybody.'

'Screw civil!' Trowa snapped, his eyes taking on that weird hazel-gold glow they did when he was getting worked-up about something. It was odd, seeing it happen without Quatre being around. 'You're going to give him a blow job under the table if that's what it takes, but he _is_ going to write a glowing piece about us. And if you mess it up, I'm telling Quatre. Got that? I want you to charm Maxwell's socks off, or I'll be serving Peacecraft Carbonara on tomorrow's lunch menu.'

'Fine. _Fine_. just stop looking at me like that. I promise to schmooze him for the rest of the evening. Is that acceptable?'

'Well, make sure you do,' Trowa muttered, looking at Zechs as if measuring him up for cuts of meat.

Oh dear.

When Duo came back, Zechs jumped up to hold his chair, his most charming smile firmly in place.

Duo gave him a sceptical glance. 'You don't have to be all nicey-nice to me, you know. If the food's good here, I'll give the place a good review. I wouldn't trash them just because their friend's an ass.'

Zechs valiantly ignored that. If Maxwell wanted to spend the entire meal insulting him, then he would put up with it for his friends' sakes.

'The food's very good, actually. Are you ready to order now?'

'Yeah, I'm good.' Duo looked at his watch. 'I have to meet someone at eight. D'you think we can put up with each other for an hour or so? If you'd rather eat by yourself, that's OK.'

'I'm sure I can survive.' Zechs found he was smiling back; not a put-on smile this time, as he motioned Otto over to take their orders.

Duo sat back, taking a good look around. 'This is a really nice place, isn't it? I love the wooden floor.'

'Thank you. It's the original oak floor from this building so it's over two hundred years old. The previous owners had painted over it; it took us ages to get it scraped and waxed back to this condition.'

Duo raised his eyebrows. 'Sorry, you mean it took ages to watch the decorators doing it, right?'

'No, we did it ourselves. I've invested some money in the business, and I offered to pay for professionals, but my friends refused. It was good fun, actually.'

Duo took a sip of his champagne. 'Can't imagine you doing something like that. Sorry.'

'Well, I hadn't imagined Howard's replacement would turn out to be a rather well known chef. Even on L2.'

Those blue-violet eyes narrowed to slits. 'Excuse me. Exactly what is that supposed to mean? When I said you didn't have to be _nice_ to me, I didn't mean it was open season for you to insult where I come from.'

'I didn't mean to insult you,' Zechs explained. 'But the European countries have culinary traditions that go back for centuries. I'm sure you're a perfectly good chef, but you'll have to admit that by Earth standards, your cuisine is hardly going to be comparable. The shortage of fresh ingredients alone must mean you can only have a limited repertoire, although I imagine you do very well within those limits.'

'I'll admit nothing of the sort!' Duo shot back. 'God, do you have any idea how patronising you sound when you say stuff like that? As a matter of interest, just how many times have you been to L2? Or any of the colonies?'

'Never, as a matter of fact.'

'Fancy that. So you've got no right to start mouthing off about our _limitations_. You know nothing about where I come from! You've probably seen it mentioned a couple of times on the news, and you think it's full of criminals and prostitutes, right? Well, it's not perfect, but it's getting better and it's not because of do-gooders on Earth giving us hand-outs so they can feel good about helping the poor little orphans once they stay on L2 and don't grow up and want to come to Earth looking for jobs.'

'Your highness,' Otto looked positively anguished as he sidled across the floor. 'I'm so sorry but Chef asked me to inform you that he's working on tomorrow's menu.'

Shit.

Granted, Zechs didn't _really_ think Trowa would take his dismembered body and use it for pasta sauce, but it was hard to know with someone who'd once tamed lions at a circus, and was Heero Yuy's best friend to boot.

No point taking chances.

Zechs gave a smooth smile. 'Please tell him I'll keep that in mind.'

'Man,' Duo drawled as Otto walked away, 'that guy practically pisses himself when you smile at him. And he's cute. Why don't you make a move on him?'

'Otto?' He'd never even considered it seriously. 'For one thing, it would be complicated. He works for my friends. And I'd rather prefer not to have a partner, who ah, reacts like that when I look at him.'

'No? I thought that'd be exactly what you'd want in a partner.'

'Well, it's not.' If he let himself think about it, that was exactly why he'd broken up with so many past boyfriends. He tended to take that sort of adulation for granted, but it got a little wearing all the time. It was probably why Duo was so refreshing, rather like Wufei in some ways. In fact, he was the first person since Wufei who'd challenged him, rather than just fawning adoringly.

He grinned at Duo. 'If you met my last boyfriend, you wouldn't say that. I doubt he's ever deferred to anyone in his entire life.'

'Is that why you broke up with him?'

'I didn't break up with him. It was a mutual decision, and we're still very good friends.' And it still hurt, in some ways. Zechs took a sip of his own wine. 'We were together for nearly six months. He found it terribly hard dating the prince of Sanque. He's a very private person; he hated it that journalists were writing about him, and that we were photographed when we went out together.'

'Yeah, that kind of sucks,' Duo agreed. 'You get used to it, though, right?'

Zechs nodded. 'I've been used to it practically since I was born. My first nanny was fired because she sold photos of me to a newspaper. I don't suppose you can imagine what that's like?'

Duo's glass - fortunately empty -slammed down on the table. 'Actually, I can. You'll find this hard to believe but I'm a pretty big deal where I come from. And it's not just because I happened to get born into the right family with a sliver spoon up my ass. It's because I worked for everything I've got!'

'Please, Your Highness,' Otto groaned almost tearfully, materialising at their table with a tray of starters. 'Mr. Maxwell, I hope you enjoy your appetisers.'

'Thank you,' Duo smiled at him. 'They look delicious.' He picked up his soup spoon, and looked over at Zechs. 'If you'd rather move to another table, go on. You're a condescending asshole, but that doesn't mean I have to behave like a jerk in return.'

'Is that actually meant to be some sort of apology?' Zechs wondered, tasting his own soup.

'No, it isn't!' Duo took a mouthful. 'Oh, this is really good. Look, maybe we'd be better off eating separately. I'm seriously on edge about something, and I'm not really great company.'

Zechs buttered two slices of walnut bread and handed Duo one. 'Would you like to talk about it?'

'Nah. It's OK. I'm just meeting this guy I told you about after dinner, and it's a while since I've seen him and I'm kind of nervous.'

'That's understandable. How long have you known him?'

'Nearly four months. He lives here so we've been doing the long distance thing. Then I got offered this temporary job on the paper here; the girl who normally reviews is a friend of mine, and it seemed like a good idea to try living together for real.'

'And now?'

Duo shrugged, suddenly looking very young and very vulnerable. 'Now, I'm here. It's scary as hell. And Sanque is …kind of weird, you know. Everything's so _old, _and I don't always understand people's accents, and it's _freezing_ now that the sun's gone down.'

'If you're cold, I can ask Otto to light the fire.'

'Could you really? I've never seen a real fire before, only on TV.'

'Of course I can.' Zechs called Otto over. 'Duo, in case you didn't realise, they'd probably burn the restaurant down if it would make you happy, just so you'll write a good review for them.'

'Well, if the rest of the food's anything like their pumpkin soup, I'll give them a belter. Oh, that's so pretty.' He gazed, apparently entranced, at the leaping flames. 'Wow. I had an artificial fire in my apartment back home but it was nothing like this. I could sit and watch that all night.'

_And I could sit and watch you all night._

Damnation, where had _that_ thought come from? It was nothing less than the truth, though. The flames coaxed a little warmth into Duo's cheeks, sparking metallic-gold lights in his amazing hair. And he was smiling with pure wonder.

Why the _hell_ had some other man got to see him first?

'I have a log fire in my library at home,' he said finally. 'I love it; it's almost like having company.'

Duo raised his eyebrows. 'You can't be telling me you're lonely, surely. I bet you're surrounded by people non-stop. You must have a gazillion butlers and chambermaids and stuff in that palace of yours.'

'I suppose so. But they all work for me; that doesn't make them friends. My sister's away at university in Paris, and most of my friends have found partners at this stage, and naturally want to spend time with them.'

He expected Duo to come back with some barbed retort; the other man just gave him a faintly shadowed smile in return. 'Yeah, I know what that's like. It's tough, right? Oh, thank you.' This last was to Otto, returning with their main courses. 'Please tell the chef the soup was wonderful, and I'd love the recipe for that nutmeg foam.'

'That was very nice of you,' Zechs remarked. 'Trowa's probably been throwing knives at the kitchen door since you walked in.'

Duo laughed out loud at that. 'I used to have a restaurant; I know what it's like to have food critics come in.'

'You don't have it anymore?'

'Nah. Oh, this salmon is really good. I sold up a few months ago. I had too much on; I was doing my TV show, and writing a kids' cookery book and my sous chef offered to buy me out. I'm still part-owner but I'm not really involved with the day to day stuff. Solo's got his own ideas for stuff; it's not fair to him if I keep interfering.' He picked up a loaded forkful of mashed potato with roasted garlic. 'So here I am. I feel I've fallen down a rabbit hole or something. I guess I'll get used to it.'

'Is it so different from L2 then?'

'Hell, yeah,' Duo informed him emphatically. 'I mean, I like most of it; this town is gorgeous and I love being by the sea. It's just sort of lonely, and my boyfriend travels all the time with his work, so I'm going to be rattling around this massive mansion of his by myself a lot. Plus I know exactly two other people in this whole country and Howard's away and Hilde's about to have a baby any day.' He shrugged. 'Sorry. You don't need to listen to my crap. How's your duck?'

'Excellent.' Zechs obligingly allowed the subject change, cutting off a small piece and dipping it in sauce before offering the fork to his companion. 'Why don't you try some? For your review.'

The challenge in Duo's eyes was belied by faintly flushed cheeks, but he leaned forward and daintily accepted the food. 'You're right, it's good. I like the sauce. Sometimes they get it too sweet.'

'A little astringency can be a good thing,' Zechs agreed. There was a tiny drop of sauce at the left corner of Duo's mouth; he leaned forward and wiped it clean with his napkin.

The blush, charmingly, deepened. 'You coming on to me again?'

Zechs slid the napkin over Duo's pale skin slowly, making it a caress. 'Just cleaning you up a little.' He lowered his voice. 'If I'd been coming on to you, I would have licked you clean.' The other man's tongue stole out, just far enough to touch the place where Zechs had touched him.

'You're staring at me.'

'In Sanque, one is permitted to look.' He hadn't pulled back and nor had Duo. It would be so very easy to lean a few inches forward and press a kiss to that delicious mouth.

'Where I come from, looking at someone like that would get one something sharp and pointy in one's guts.'

'How fortunate we're not on L2 then,' Zechs parried.

'I've already told you, I've got someone.'

'So you did. And he's a fool, leaving you alone like this.'

'He trusts me!' Duo snapped.

Dear Gods, he was just beautiful. All that passion in the most exquisite body imaginable. 'I didn't mean to imply otherwise,' Zechs murmured. 'He's a fool not to want to spend every possible moment with you.'

For the first time since they'd met – was it really only a few hours? – Duo was actually thrown off balance. There was one glorious, heart-stopping moment when their eyes met, to the total exclusion of anyone and anything else in the universe; one of those moments where anything seems possible.

Then Duo was on his feet in an explosion of hair and superb tailoring, and the moment shattered.

'Time for me to go, I'm afraid. Can you tell your friends the article will be printed on Saturday, and I can promise it'll be good. Thanks for letting me moan. See you?'

He made into half a question before rushing out.


	3. Manual Adjustments

Note: Many thanks to KS for editing and to everyone who's been kind enough to review.

**Manual Adjustments:**

The moment Duo had whisked out the door, braid trailing, and the door slamming behind him, Trowa exploded through the kitchen doors. 'It went all right then? What _exactly_ did he say about the food? He didn't eat all his bread; did he say there was something wrong?'

'He loved everything,' Zechs tried to get a whole sentence out and was interrupted by his friend's phone ringing.

'Quatre! Yes, it's OK. He loved our food, and he especially liked the nutmeg foam. Yes, the one I've been practising at home for the last couple of weeks. I suppose I _could_ stop making it now. Sure, we can get Thai food for supper if you're sure you wouldn't like me to bring something home from the restaurant. That's an exaggeration, love. I'm sure you haven't had every item on our menu _that_ many times.'

'Trowa,' Zechs broke in hurriedly, seizing the chance to escape. 'I have to go. I'll talk to you later.'

Predictably enough, his 'phone rang just as he reached the car. Quatre had been told about Duo then. The second great passion of Trowa's life may have been his cooking, but that didn't mean he wasn't capable of noticing other things.

'So?' His friend somehow managed to infuse that one syllable with curiosity and archness and humour and concern. He was gifted that way. 'Trowa said you seemed to be getting on very well with the restaurant critic.'

'Oh, he said that, did he?'

Quatre laughed. 'Well, he said the staff were taking bets on whether you two were going to stab each other, or have sex on the table. Tell me about him.'

'Nothing to tell,' Zechs said glumly. 'He's seeing someone and he's already informed me that I'm not his type.'

'My. How intriguing. No wonder you're smitten. And Tro said he's _gorgeous_.'

'I'm glad it's a source of entertainment that the first person I've been interested in for months isn't remotely interested in _me_.'

'Now you're being silly,' Quatre said briskly. 'It sounds like he very definitely was interested. People in happy, secure relationships don't go around inviting virtual strangers to eat dinner with them. And looking at them the way Tro said he was looking at you. When are you seeing him again?'

'Quatre, did you somehow miss the part about him being in a relationship? It's bloody typical. He's the first person I've really noticed since Wufei dumped me and he's taken.'

'Wufei did not dump you! He found it hard to deal with some aspects of your life, mainly the public part of it. It's a shortcoming on his part, not yours, that he wasn't prepared to make more of an effort to accommodate your lifestyle.'

'Not helping,' Zechs muttered, not really in the mood for one of Quatre's pep talks. 'Especially as he seems to have no problem accommodating Heero's needs.'

'I know. It's odd, isn't it? I never thought they'd last but somehow they seem to complement each other's personalities. They're almost perfect together.'

'Right. Quat, you're _really_ not helping now. Anyway, I have to go. I'm supposed to be meeting the CEO of Romfeller Bank to discuss their donation to the hospital.'

'But it's eight o'clock in the evening!' Quatre, who managed to run an international corporation and still be home at six every night to spend time with his boyfriend and their cats, protested.

Zechs made a face. 'Apparently, it was the only time he had an opening in his schedule. And we need the money. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Enjoy your Thai food.'

Quatre was still laughing as he hung up. It was all right for Quatre Winner; he had everything any man could possibly want.

_He_ was going to spend a lovely evening with his adoring boyfriend and a steaming plate of yellow chicken curry. Zechs had to drive across town to charm someone who wasn't remotely interested in charitable causes, but who would make a massive donation simply so he could tell his friends about meeting the prince of Sanque.

Relena was so much better at that sort of thing than he was. Zechs hated it. He was frowning while a secretary ushered into a small meeting room and offered coffee, offering assurances that Mr. Khushrenada had been delayed slightly but would be with him as soon as possible.

Wonderful. The evening couldn't really get any worse.

And what the _hell_ had Duo meant when he'd said Zechs wasn't his type? A popular women's magazine in Sanque had awarded him first place in their poll of the country's sexiest men. Even women found him attractive, but oh no, he wasn't good enough for Duo Maxwell.

'What the _hell_?' At first, he thought his mind had conjured up the strident voice yelling through the door because it was unmistakably Duo. '_Treize_?'

God, the man was everywhere he went today. It was insane!

'Damn _right_ it's a bad time!' Duo was shouting. 'But then it's never really the right time to walk in on your _boyfriend_ when he's kissing his secretary, is it?' There was a brief pause during which Zechs surreptitiously massaged his ears and then he was off again. 'Oh, it's exactly what it looks like, you bastard! What, I'm supposed to believe you were thanking her for doing your filing correctly? You were damn well filing your tongue in her _mouth_!'

There were more obscenities and then a very loud crash.

'Yeah? Well, I don't fucking care if that decanter was antique Waterford crystal.' Another crash. 'Or that one, you tosser! Screw you!'

The walls virtually shook as a door slammed; the planet probably tilted a few degrees. Zechs was on his feet immediately, following the running footsteps. Duo was damn fast when he wanted to be. He had made it out of the building, across a road full of traffic, and into the small park opposite the bank before Zechs caught up with him. He was flopped down on a bench, 'phone in hand, but looked up when he heard Zechs.

Are you actually stalking me?' he demanded. ''Cause I know some people might think that's cute, but to me it's just creepy.'

'I'm not stalking you! I had a late meeting with someone at the bank and I – ah – happened to overhear.'

Duo grimaced. 'Shit. You heard me yelling?'

'No offence, Duo, but I imagine people on L2 heard you.'

'Oh. Well. I guess that saves me having to change my status on FaceBook to _single_.' He looked down at the 'phone in his hand. 'What do I have to do to get a cab in this place? I've tried calling four different companies and they're all busy.'

'It's Friday night. My car's parked around the corner. I can give you a lift. Where do you want to go?'

'God, I don't have a clue.' He slumped forward suddenly, burying his face in his hands. 'I'm so freaking clueless. I walked away from my whole life on L2 to be with that bastard. How stupid is that?'

'It was an incredibly brave, generous thing to do,' Zechs assured him, sliding closer along the bench and slipping one arm around Duo's shoulders. 'It's not your fault that he's an ungrateful idiot.'

Duo hunched one shoulder. 'It's my fault that I believed every single word he said. Some big romance, eh? I actually fell for all the crap he dished out and he's been doing his secretary the whole time. Shit. I thought I'd be starting this great new life and now look at me! I'll probably end up sleeping on this bloody bench!'

'I think we can find you somewhere a little better than that,' Zechs said softly, tightening his embrace. Duo didn't pull away. 'And I am looking at you and I'm incredibly awed by what you did. Leaving your home and your friends to be with someone you loved. That's amazing, Duo. He's unbelievably stupid to have let you go like that.'

'Jeez.' Duo lifted his head to look at him. The hint of moisture in his eyes only made them more beautiful. 'Don't you ever give up? Just 'cause I'm going through a bad patch doesn't mean you get to take advantage of me.'

'I wouldn't do anything of the sort,' Zechs said stiffly. 'God! Why do I always say exactly the wrong thing to you?'

'It's not just your fault,' Duo whispered. Instead of pulling away, as Zechs had expected, he actually wormed a little closer. 'I've been kind of a jerk to you all day. I've just been worrying for ages about doing this, and then I was totally freaking out this morning about how all this would work out, and you just swanned in and you were all confident and prince-y and swishy..'

'I am not remotely swishy!' Zechs didn't actually know what that meant, but he didn't like the sound of it.

'Your hair is.' Duo seized a handful of pale hair and tugged gently. 'Swishy, swishy. See? I don't get how it doesn't get tangled. Mine's a disaster if I don't keep it braided all the time.'

'It's beautiful.' Zechs ran one finger down the length of that glorious braid, feeling its owner shudder slightly. 'Now, I believe you were apologising for how you've been behaving to me.'

'Was not!' Duo objected, just as Zechs had guessed he would. 'I was merely explaining that I may just possibly have over-reacted to a couple of things you said, for personal reasons. I'm not usually that touchy. Oh!' He tilted his face to the sky. 'Is that rain?'

'In Sanque, in April, it's highly likely. Doesn't it rain on L2?'

Duo shook his head. 'L4 and L1 have spray systems though. A way of cooling the temperature. This is different. I though it would be, I don't know, heavier. It always looks heavy in movies.'

'It's just a spring shower, but we should probably go. Now, where can I take you?' He stood up, taking one of Duo's hands to pull him up. Duo didn't let go. Imagine that.

'Zechs, I wasn't actually kidding when I said I didn't know. I guess I could go back to Howard's place. I slept there last night, and my stuff's still there, but I left his key with this old lady who lives next door and I'd rather not knock on her door now that it's getting late.'

He banged his forehead with his free hand. Loudly. 'God, I'm so _fucking_ stupid! I just assumed I'd move in with Treize and it would all magically work out. I never thought I'd walk in on him with his tongue down his secretary's throat.' He hit himself again. 'I guess that's what I get from trying to surprise him at work.'

'He didn't know you were coming to Sanque?' The rain was coming down just a little harder; Zechs headed for the park gate, Duo in tow.

'Oh, he knew _that_. He was meant to meet me at the shuttle port yesterday when I arrived, but then he had to fly to London for some urgent meeting. I was supposed to meet him at his place after I'd had dinner, but when I was in the cab, we drove past the bank and I thought it'd be cool just to hop out and give him a surprise.'

'Well, I think you accomplished that.'

'Yeah, in spades,' Duo agreed wryly. 'Uh, Zechs, you're not planning to take me back to your palace and have your wicked way with me while I'm emotionally messed up, are you?' He didn't actually sound like he was too averse to that possibility but Zechs shook his head.

'Not tonight. I know a nice little boutique hotel by the harbour. You can check in there for a few nights while you decide what you want to do. Is that all right?'

'Yeah.' Duo squeezed his hand. 'Thanks.'

Zechs squeezed back, enjoying the feel of Duo's hand in his. 'I haven't done very much.'

'You've been pretty amazing. Shoulder to cry on, not taking advantage, all that stuff.'

'I'd rather like to take advantage of you at some point, but not tonight. For one thing, I don't want to get involved with someone who may be flying to the other end of the universe in the morning.'

'I won't be doing that. I have a contract with the paper for five months. So…you're not into one night stands either, huh?'

'Not in the least. For one thing, I can't imagine one night with you would be remotely enough.'

'Oh, smooth,' Duo approved. 'You might find out that one night is too much. I thought I'd scared you away a couple of times today.'

'I'm still here.' The three words hung between them, all but tangible.

'So you are.' Duo stopped abruptly, sliding both arms around Zechs' waist. 'It's OK to do this sort of thing in public here, right?'

'Yes. And if it's not, I'll pass a law to make it so.'

'Pillock.'

Well, something like that, anyway. It was hard to tell exactly what Duo said, with his mouth muffled against the soft wool of Zechs' coat.

'I think I'm going to have to buy a dictionary to understand half the things you say.' Words suddenly weren't important, though.

'Ass.' He rested that shining head against Zechs' shoulder. 'I don't want to kiss you tonight, if that's OK? It's been a sucky night, and I'm pretty screwed up after everything that's happened, but is it all right if I just snuggle for a minute?'

'Of course.' Just like that, he had the prickly, argumentative, impossible Duo Maxwell in his arms. Snuggling. And shaking slightly. Zechs carefully unbuttoned his coat and wrapped it around them both.

'Not cold,' Duo muttered. 'Just …you know.'

'I know.' Zechs clasped the slender body to him, loving the feel of Duo against him.

'Sorry,' Duo said finally, pulling away a little to extract a tattered piece of tissue paper from one pocket. He blew his nose violently a couple of times, and then looked up at Zechs. 'Wasn't planning to do all of that. Not in front of someone. I hope I didn't get your coat damp.'

'Well, it's raining anyway.' Zechs winced as Duo carefully put his _very_ used tissue back in his pocket and tried to be positive. At least he wasn't littering.

'Yeah. Kind of heavy, now, isn't it?'

Wrapped up in the sensations of holding Duo, he hadn't even noticed, but the light drizzle had become a downpour. There was actually thunder; not just the thudding of his heart. 'Come on!' He grabbed Duo's hand again, and ran for shelter. Duo was laughing as they sprinted up the steps of a small bandstand, even if Zechs suspected that not all the moisture on his cheeks was from the rain.

'This is fantastic!' Duo hung over the balustrade, watching jagged lightning bolts rip the sky apart. 'I've never seen lightning before!'

'Your day for firsts, isn't it?'

'Yeah. You can say that again.'

Zechs flinched as he realised exactly what he'd said. Idiot! 'I'm sorry.'

'Not your fault. You know, I knew he wasn't perfect, and that we had issues, but I thought if I was here, we'd be able to work through them. Shit! I knew he was a total control freak, and possessive as hell, and he wasn't too happy about me helping out in a garage but I thought we could work it out if we spent enough time together. I mean, it's always difficult at the start and you have to compromise and stuff. I never thought he'd be two-timing me, though.'

'He sounds a total nightmare,' Zechs said bluntly. 'What exactly did you ever see in him?'

Duo shrugged. 'Have you ever _seen_ him? He's gorgeous! And no, I'm not _that_ shallow; he's super-smart, and he's got bucket-loads of charisma, and he treated me like I was this perfect, precious thing and no one had ever done that before, and I totally fell for it. Corny, right?'

'It sounds boring. And you're certainly not perfect.'

'Got that right,' Duo agreed. 'But I like who I am, most of the time, anyway. I'm not sure if Treize did, really, looking back. He was always trying to get me to behave appropriately, whatever the hell that means. And if I argued with him, he'd either just give in like he was indulging a kid, or steamroll over me. I think he really just wanted some pretty little toy to hang on his arm and gaze at him adoringly.'

Zechs spluttered at that unlikely vision. 'I refuse to believe you'd be capable of doing anything like that. You _are_ pretty, though. Beautiful in fact. And for the record, I should say that I love the idea of having a boyfriend who can fix cars. It would save a fortune. And if he could cook as well, that would be perfect. I'd be able to get rid of half my staff. Do you have any other skills I should know about?'

'Hey!' Duo poked him in the ribs. 'Getting ahead of yourself a bit there, aren't you?'

'I was speaking in a purely hypothetical sense,' Zechs told him haughtily. 'You're rather egotistical, aren't you? Not everything's about you.'

Duo, adorably, stuck out his tongue as a retort. 'So sure about that?'

'Not if you keep waggling your tongue about, no. I don't suppose you're prepared to reconsider this evening's kissing embargo?'

'I could. Maybe. But no tongue, OK?'

He'd expected kissing Duo would be a challenge simply because everything else about him was. But Duo's lips were soft and warm and pliant and parted very slightly for him.

Letting him go was a tremendous effort of will, but Zechs had had duty and discipline drilled into him since birth and they came in useful on occasion. 'Oh, little one, you are totally perfect.'

'Excuse me?' Duo's expression went from melting to murderous in a fraction of a second. '_What_ did you call me?'

'It's just an endearment.'

'Use it again, and I'll stick a knife in you,' Duo growled. 'The pointy end.'

'Darling?'

'Too soon.'

'Dearheart?'

'Sure, if we lived in the twelfth century.'

'Honey?'

'Pukesville.'

'Angel?'

'I do actually have a knife.'

'God, you're such a brat.'

'That works. What do I call you? Sir? Your Highness? Prince Milliardo?'

Zechs kissed him again because Duo was utterly irresistible, deepening it until Duo nipped at his bottom lip. Rather hard. Ah, well. Life with him would never be boring.

'Perhaps you can call me your purely hypothetical, on-probation, abstract, possible future boyfriend?'

Duo's eyes, shadowed violet in moonlight, were suddenly very serious. 'You don't mind waiting? I need to get my life sorted out, and get over all this, and I can't promise I'll want to stay here for ever.'

'Well, then, I'll just have to do my best to persuade you.' It was ridiculous. He'd known Duo for less than twelve hours, and the thought of him leaving already hurt. Still, he had months to convince Duo he wanted to stay in Sanque and that would be fun and challenging and would probably drive him to strong drink.

Duo's sly grin was totally at odds with the soft expression in those beautiful eyes. 'Nothing to stop you coming to L2 with me.'

'Actually there is.' Zechs took a deep breath. After seeing how badly Duo had just been hurt by betrayal, he was going to be honest from the start. 'I can't just leave. I'm the prince of Sanque; it's probably the main part of who I am. Leaving's never going to be an option.'

'Yeah.' Duo, delightfully, reached up and kissed him sweetly. 'I guessed that. It's OK. I was prepared to move here for Treize; I can do it for you.'

'You do like me then?' Zechs asked, loathing himself for sounding like a fifteen year old girl, like Relena in the throes on one of her teenage crushes.

'It's not obvious? FYI, I don't go around kissing every guy I meet in a thunder storm.'

'I'm very glad to hear that.' Zechs sat down on one of the narrow benches that circled the bandstand and pulled Duo onto his lap.

'Oh, _please_. Tell me you're not one of those jealous, possessive types.'

'Only to the extent that if you ever so much as look at another man, I will tie you to our bed, and keep you there until you are quite incapable of recognizing the existence of any other male in the entire universe.'

'_Our_ bed, huh? Let me guess, you've got one of those big four-posters with tapestries all around it?' He sighed theatrically when Zechs nodded. 'Typical! You couldn't just have had a nice futon, could you?'

'I think you may just possibly like my bed.'

'Yeah?' It was hard to tell in the near-darkness, but he thought Duo might have actually blushed. 'If you're in it, maybe.'

'Really?' Zechs teased. 'A few hours ago, you said I wasn't even your type. Now you're propositioning me.'

A flash of sheet lightning illuminated the gleam in Duo's eyes. 'You're _so_ not my type. You're way too uptight and aristocratic, and a few inches too tall.'

'That won't matter when we're lying down,' Zechs pointed out helpfully.

'And you think far too much of yourself.'

'With reason.'

'You're a smug, snobbish, patronising asshole.'

'Ignorant, brash, uncultured colonial,' Zechs shot back.

Duo's arms were suddenly twined around his neck. 'If I'm all those things, what the hell are you doing with me?'

'I could ask you the same question.'

'Guess I'm just a glutton for punishment. A masochist.' He said it lightly enough, but he'd dropped his gaze, and Zechs could sense all kinds of darkness lurking behind that one word.

'I won't hurt you,' he said abruptly. 'I swear. I'll argue with you until the stars fall out of the sky, and we have to have make up sex in total darkness, and we'll probably drive each other insane in the first week, but I'll never treat you like he did.'

Duo, for once, rather miraculously, didn't say anything. But the kiss did.


End file.
